Lake Placid's Weibrecht brings home Super-G silver

For second straight Olympics, Lake Placid skier surprise medalist

Updated 9:12 am, Monday, February 17, 2014

Russia forward Ilya Kovalchuk, right, is congratulated by Russia forward Alexander Radulov after hitting the winning shot in a shootout against Slovakia during a men's ice hockey game at the 2014 Winter Olympics, Sunday, Feb. 16, 2014, in Sochi, Russia. Russia won 1-0. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez) ORG XMIT: OLYMH173 less

Russia forward Ilya Kovalchuk, right, is congratulated by Russia forward Alexander Radulov after hitting the winning shot in a shootout against Slovakia during a men's ice hockey game at the 2014 Winter ... more

Athletes from the Netherlands, from left to right, silver medallist Ireen Wust, Gold medallist Jorien ter Mors and bronze medallist Lotte van Beek celebrate during the flower ceremony for the women's ... more

ADDS IDS OF OTHER BOARDERS - Czech Republic's Eva Samkova, bottom right, leads the field in the women's snowboard cross final at the Rosa Khutor Extreme Park, at the 2014 Winter Olympics, Sunday, Feb. 16, 2014, ... more

Photo: Luca Bruno

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SOCHI, RUSSIA - FEBRUARY 16: Silver medalist Andrew Weibrecht of the United States celebrates on the podium during the medal ceremony for the Men's Super-G Alpine Skiing on day 9 of the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics at Medals Plaza on February 16, 2014 in Sochi, Russia. (Photo by Adam Pretty/Getty Images) ORG XMIT: 467572559 less

SOCHI, RUSSIA - FEBRUARY 16: Silver medalist Andrew Weibrecht of the United States celebrates on the podium during the medal ceremony for the Men's Super-G Alpine Skiing on day 9 of the Sochi 2014 Winter ... more

Photo: Adam Pretty

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Lake Placid's Weibrecht brings home Super-G silver

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Krasnaya Polyana, Russia

Displayed next to the reception desk at the Mirror Lake Inn in Lake Placid is a bronze medal from the 2010 Winter Olympics, a prize brought home by Andrew Weibrecht, the son of the inn's owners.

Andrew's mother, Lisa, was raised in Scotia.

Over the next four years, however, Weibrecht, 28, never again seriously threatened to win a medal in any race at the World Cup level. He struggled so mightily he came close to watching the Sochi Olympics at home. He barely qualified for the U.S. Olympic team.

But soon, the Weibrecht family will have to make room for another medal at their inn.

In a flabbergasting outcome Sunday, Weibrecht made a rousing, daredevil assault on the men's super-G course to grab the silver medal, finishing just 0.30 seconds behind the winner of the race, Kjetil Jansrud of Norway.

Weibrecht, who's nicknamed "War Horse," has been besieged by injuries since his bronze-medal performance in Vancouver. He has blown out each ankle and gone through surgeries on both shoulders. He also lost his sponsorship from the U.S. ski team for lackluster results.

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"It's unbelievable. I came down and knew I skied well. I knew I had a good run," Weibrecht said of Sunday's performance. "I came through the finish and appreciated my run. Then I took a couple of seconds and looked at the time, I saw two and looked away. I looked again and was like, 'You've got to be kidding me.' "

Weibrecht's was not the only inspired effort by an American. Bode Miller won the bronze medal in a tie with Jan Hudec of Canada. Miller is the oldest Alpine skier to medal at 36.

Men's hockey: Russia was forced into a second straight shootout on Sunday and now must play an extra game to reach the quarterfinals. Canada, Sweden, the United States and Finland advanced to the quarterfinals. They'll be joined by the winners of a four-game qualifying round next Tuesday among the eight remaining teams. Russia lost its chance to skip the qualifying round when it was forced into a shootout by Slovakia, winning 1-0. That allowed Finland to claim the bye on goal difference. Canada, Sweden and the U.S. all finished the qualifying round undefeated.

Speedskating: At the Adler Arena, Dutch skaters swept the podium in the women's 1,500 meters. Overall, the Dutch have won an astounding 16 speedskating medals in Sochi out of 24 awarded so far, smashing the Olympic record of 13 set by East Germany at the 1988 Calgary Games.

Snowboarding: Eva Samkova won the women's snowboardcross, the first gold of the games for the Czech Republic. Lindsey Jacobellis of the U.S. crashed while leading her semifinal, the third straight disappointing Olympic finish for the eight-time X Games winner.

Cross-country: Sweden's win in the 4x10-kilometer relay came one day after the Swedish women had won gold in the same race. No country has won both relays since the old Soviet Union did it 42 years ago.

Speedskating: Jorien ter Mors earned the gold in the Dutch sweep of the women's 1,500. Pre-race favorite Ireen Wust settled for silver, with bronze going to Lotte van Beek. If there had been a medal for fourth place, the Dutch would have won that, too, with Marrit Leenstra finishing just after Van Beek. Ter Mors turned in a stunning time of 1 minute, 53.51 seconds, an Olympic record. Jackie Hernandez, born in the Capital Region, sustained a concussion when she smacked her head after catching an edge during qualifying

Curling: Sweden and Canada became the first men's teams to qualify for the semifinals. Norway, Britain and China are battling for the other two spots. The Swedes and Canadians also advanced to the semifinals in the women's tournament. China, Britain, Switzerland and Japan still have a chance for the remaining two semifinal spots.